The Southern

Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: News

The year opened with the farce "Noises Off," directed by Paul Bawek. Students enjoyed the comedy of the season opener.

Mary T. Albright directed "Isn't it Romantic," a story of two best friends growing up in the city.

The Spring semester opened with the musical "Man of La Mancha," starring artist-in-residence Robert MacDonald and directed by Jim Beck. The play was based on the story of Don Quixote.

The classic story, "Romeo and Juliet," directed by Paul Bawek, is now playing in Buckner Theater until Sunday.

As the spring semester comes to a close, the Festival of Fine Arts here at Florida Southern College nears the end of its programs for the year.

During this semester the students, staff and faculty of FSC, as well as the residents of Polk County, have had the opportunity to attend several different programs.

On Jan. 18 the Festival of Fine Arts held its event of the semester, which was a performance by the State Symphony of Mexico.

During the performance, Leonel Morals, a well-known Cuban-born pianist, performed the "Piano Concerto No.3" by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Rachmanioff is famous for composing music that is challenging to perform due to the musical and technical difficulty, and "Piano Concerto No.3" is known in the world of music as one of the most challenging piano pieces ever written.

Another performer who was part of the Festival of Fine Arts was Syliva McNair, a two-time Grammy winner and operatic soprano.
At this point in McNair's career she is focusing her time on the "Great American Songbook," which includes a collaboration of music from areas such as the Hollywood musical and the Broadway musical theater. Also, the "Great American Songbook" contains an era of music known as Tin Pan Alley, famous from the 1920s to the 1960s, when rock and roll was becoming very popular.

The next performance of the Festival of Fine Arts was a concert by the Borealis Woodwind Quintet on Feb 7. The quintet is known for being one of the first woodwind quintets to have ever been nominated for a Grammy award.

In March, the Festival of Fine Arts hosted three events. The first event was "Camerata Ireland," an orchestra of Irish musicians that are known for their ability to generate a noticeable Irish sound. The group was founded by Barry Douglas in 1999, and has toured in the United States China, Europe and South America.

The second event was a FSC Choral Concert, which was held on March 26. The concert was lead by Larry Sledge, the director of choral activities.

The choral collaborated with FSC's Symphony to perform Johannes Brahms' longest composition "A German Requiem," or "Ein deutsches Requiem" in German.

The last event in March was FSC's Jazz Ensemble concert, which was held on March 28. The performance consisted of songs from many different genres that ranged from swing to bebop, as well as selections by well-known jazz players Duke Ellington and Basie.

In April, the Festival of Fine Arts held a Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble concert. Dr. Jo Jossim, FSC's director of bands, conducted the concert.

Another event in April was Adolph Adam's ballet "Giselle," which was just held on April 3. The Russian National Ballet Theatre and Orchestra performed this rendition of Adam's ballet, which is a love story that includes acts of betrayal, love, revenge, madness and forgiveness.

The final Festival of Fine Arts event of the semester will be a performance by FSC's Symphony Orchestra, held on April 21. Arthur Pranno, FSC's director of string studies, will be conducting the concert.

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